GREAT FALLS — Students in Great Falls Public Schools (GFPS) decorated graves with 1,700 flags in honor of Patriot Day on Friday.
Thirty cadets in the district’s Junior Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (JROTC) program marked the 19th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Students from CMR High School and Great Falls High School placed 1,200 flags at Highland Cemetery and 500 at Mount Olivet Cemetery. The flags were donated from someone in the community.
Although many of the students have only learned about 9/11 in history books or through their parents, the significance of the day wasn't lost on them.
“It means a lot to me to honor the veterans,” said Caleb Hyde, a senior at CMR High School and JROTC cadet who hopes to go into the armed forces.
JROTC is a federally sponsored and military-regulated character development and citizenship program. In recent years, its presence has expanded at local public high schools. GFPS Supt. Tom Moore said on Friday he was happy to see so many students taking advantage of the opportunities that JROTC can provide.
“Over the last few years, it’s taken quite an effort to be able to provide this program and then sustain it,” he said.
With Malmstrom Air Force Base sitting right on the edge of town, many students in the district come from military families. The program gives them a way of following in their parents’ footsteps.
“My dad is Navy retired, so military meant a lot to me when I came to the U.S.,” said Jamela Munsinger, also a senior at CMR and JROTC cadet.
Munsinger was born in the Philippines, but she was adopted by a military family and raised in the U.S. After college, she also hopes to pursue a military career. She said her background makes her more cognizant of the importance of honoring days like 9/11, especially for young people.
“It’s very important for us to remember and learn about it, as a generation,” she said.
